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The Bird's Christmas Carol
The Bird's Christmas Carol
The Bird's Christmas Carol
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The Bird's Christmas Carol

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Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923) was an important reformer of children's education at the turn of the century. During a period when children's place in society was little other than cheap labor, Kate Douglas Wiggin was dedicated to the betterment of youth. She was the first person to found a free kindergarten school in San Francisco in 1878. Her passion for children's rights carried over to her successful career as an author of children's books. In her 1887 tale "The Birds' Christmas Carol", Kate Douglas Wiggin tells the story of the angelic Carol Bird, a young girl who spreads mirth to everyone around her. Born on Christmas, Carol tragically falls ill when she is five years old. The novel follows her heartwarming plan to hold a majestic Christmas celebration for the neighboring Ruggles family. A true Christmas classic, this tale is sure to inspire all with Christmas joy.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2013
ISBN9781627932820
The Bird's Christmas Carol
Author

Kate Douglas Wiggin

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American educator, author, and advocate who is best known for writing Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. After graduating from kindergarten-teacher training in Santa Barbara, Wiggins moved to San Francisco, where she founded the first free kindergarten on Silver Street in 1878.

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    The Bird's Christmas Carol - Kate Douglas Wiggin

    A Little Snow Bird

    It was very early Christmas morning, and in the stillness of the dawn, with the soft snow falling on the housetops, a little child was born in the Bird household.

    They had intended to name the baby Lucy, if it were a girl; but they hadn’t expected her on Christmas morning, and a real Christmas baby was not to be lightly named —the whole family agreed in that.

    They were consulting about it in the nursery. Mr. Bird said that he had assisted in naming the three boys, and that he should leave this matter entirely to Mrs. Bird; Donald wanted the child called Maud, after a pretty little curly-haired girl who sat next him in school; Paul chose Luella, for Luella was the nurse who had been with him during his whole babyhood, up to the time of his first trousers, and the name suggested all sorts of comfortable things. Uncle Jack said that the first girl should always be named for her mother, no matter how hideous the name happened to be.

    Grandma said that she would prefer not to take any part in the discussion, and everybody suddenly remembered that Mrs. Bird had thought of naming the baby Lucy, for Grandma herself; and, while it would be indelicate for her to favor that name, it would be against human nature for her to suggest any other, under the circumstances.

    Hugh, the hitherto baby, if that is a possible term, sat in one corner and said nothing, but felt, in some mysterious way, that his nose was out of joint; for there was a newer baby now, a possibility he had never taken into consideration; and the first girl, too, a still higher development of treason, which made him actually green with jealousy.

    But it was too profound a subject to be settled then and there, on the spot; besides, Mama had not been asked, and everybody felt it rather absurd, after all, to forestall a decree that was certain to be absolutely wise, just and perfect.

    The reason that the subject had been brought up at all so early in the day lay in the fact that Mrs. Bird never allowed her babies to go over night unnamed. She was a person of so great decision of character that she would have blushed at such a thing; she said that to let blessed babies go dangling and dawdling about without names, for months and months, was enough to ruin them for life. She also said that if one could not make up one’s mind in twenty-four hours it was a sign that —but I will not repeat the rest, as it might prejudice you against the most charming woman in the world.

    So Donald took his new velocipede and went out to ride up and down the stone pavement and notch the shins of innocent people as they passed by, while Paul spun his musical top on the front steps.

    But Hugh refused to leave the scene of action. He seated himself on the top stair in the hall, banged his head against the railing a few times, just by way of uncorking the vials of his wrath, and then subsided into gloomy silence, waiting to declare war if more first girl babies were thrust upon a family already surfeited with that unnecessary article.

    Meanwhile dear Mrs. Bird lay in her room, weak, but safe and happy with her sweet girl baby by her side and the heaven of motherhood opening before her. Nurse was making gruel in the kitchen, and the room was dim

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